To ensure the best residential experience, it’s important for apartment managers to offer easy, accessible, and reliable processes for waste management. In other words, it should be easy and efficient for residents to dispose of their trash and their recycling, without having to worry about overflowing bins or irregular pickups.
If your waste management process leaves something to be desired, don’t worry: There are simple steps you can take to make things better for your residents. Here are a few general recommendations.
1) Expand the waste disposal area.
It shouldn’t be burdensome for residents to handle their waste. Ensure readily accessible disposal areas throughout your apartment complex. A smaller building can get away with one or two areas, but larger communities may need multiple waste disposal areas, preventing the need for residents to walk very far hauling heavy garbage bags. Also be sure that your trash and recycling bins are located close together.
2) Adopt a recycling system.
Speaking of recycling, make sure you provide your residents with an easy system for recycling cardboard, aluminum cans, etc. Not only does this help you attract more eco-conscious residents, but it’s also an important way to reduce your trash volume.
3) Communicate your disposal system.
One of the most important things you can do to create an efficient, streamlined disposal process is to communicate rules, expectations, and best-practices to your residents. Make sure tenants know things like when and how often pickup occurs, whether you require cardboard recyclables to be flattened, whether you want trash bags to be tied off, etc.
4) Have a policy for bulk items.
Residents should know what they can do with major trash items, like old furniture. This means clarifying where these things are disposed of, and what steps must be taken to alert your waste management company that a special pickup is needed.
5) Manage vendors.
Nothing can disrupt your waste ecosystem quite like unauthorized dumping from a vendor. For instance, if your lawn maintenance crew regularly tosses big bags of grass clippings in your bin, that can not only lead to overflow, but potentially to fines, as well.
Be clear in articulating your policies to vendors, and consider some kind of surveillance system to monitor vendor activity. By contrast, you might want to make your waste disposal area private, secured for resident use only.
6) Plan ahead for seasonal issues.
One more thing to keep in mind is that certain times of the year will bring natural upticks in waste. For example, residents will probably have more trash accumulating around the Christmas holidays, as they buy and receive presents, pile up Amazon boxes, etc. You may want to schedule additional pickups during these peak seasons.
Weather issues should also be taken into account. If there’s ice and sleet in the forecast, treat your sidewalks to make sure residents can safely access the waste disposal area.
There’s much you can do to improve the functionality of your waste and recycling systems. One final suggestion is to enlist a trusted waste management provider. To discuss options with WasteXperts, reach out directly.
